CfP: Liu Xiaoqing Studies, Special Issue for Women’s Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal (Taylor & Francis)

Women’s Studies: An Inter-disciplinary Journal (A&HCI)
Special Issue: Liu Xiaoqing Studies
Guest Editor: Chang Liu

Chang Liu from Heidelberg University’s Centre for Transcultural Studies invites you to contribute to a special issue on what he terms “Liu Xiaoqing Studies” for the journal Women’s Studies: An Inter-disciplinary Journal, published by Taylor & Francis. 

Liu Xiaoqing (刘晓庆, b. 1950) is arguably one of the most famous and controversial actress to have risen to fame after the end of Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). In a career spanning nearly five decades, while most of her peers have long been forgotten, she has remained highly visible and continues to enjoy widespread popularity. This special issue will explore how Liu Xiaoqing’s personal transformation and evolving star image interact with broader societal changes and the transformation of Chinese women’s identity in post-socialist China.

In Chinese language media, Liu Xiaoqing is often referred to as “a product of her time.” Born in 1950, shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, she witnessed the height of the socialist era in the 1960s and experienced the full impact of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. She began her career near the end of the Cultural Revolution and rose to fame during China’s early reform era in the 1980s. Initially a film actress, she later navigated the decline of China’s film industry in the 1990s and the rise of TV drama productions, balancing her career between big and small screens. Liu Xiaoqing also had firsthand experience with Chinese government’s tax law reforms, which led to her imprisonment in 2002. Yet, after her release, she made a remarkable comeback, restarting her career as a nameless background actress drifting between roles in Hengdian in 2003. Her personal life has been equally eventful, marked by several high-profile marriages and extramarital affairs. Most recently, at the age of 74, she was found to be dating someone several decades younger than herself, sparking a new wave of public debate on female sexuality. Throughout her career, many have speculated that her popularity would soon fade. However, her recent appearance on a reality TV show has earned her an entirely new generation of fans. It is nearly impossible to summarize her accomplishments in just one paragraph.

Introducing a field called “Liu Xiaoqing Studies” serves two main purposes. First, it seeks to engage in dialogue with more established fields such as Madonna Studies, Beyoncé Studies, Lady Gaga Studies, and, more recently, Taylor Swift Studies. While studies of superstars from the Anglo-American world enjoy high visibility, those from the Global South rarely receive comparable academic attention. Despite Liu Xiaoqing’s enduring societal influence in China, she is seldom considered a legitimate subject of study. The absence of a Madonna Studies-equivalent in China Studies, to some extent, reinforces the myth that female empowerment in China is primarily associated with white women, thereby erasing the contributions of Chinese women. Second, as a female celebrity in China, Liu Xiaoqing has continually navigated shifting gender politics to reinvent herself and maintain relevance in a male-dominated society. She is a product of her time—though time has always been plural for her. Politically, she has lived through the eras of Mao, Deng, Jiang, Hu, and Xi. She has also adapted to transformations in the media landscape and broader cultural shifts. In this regard, Liu Xiaoqing embodies major cultural, social, and political transformations in China. Thus, studying Liu Xiaoqing is not just an inquiry into her stardom but an exploration of post-Mao China’s evolving cultural, social, and political landscape, alongside the shifting identity of Chinese women. A special issue dedicated to her would also provide scholars in women’s studies and China studies with a unique opportunity to examine how Chinese women navigate gender identity and sexuality in a rapidly changing society.

The guest editor seeks contributors to analyze one or more aspects of Liu Xiaoqing’s career and identity, linking them to specific time periods to explore the interplay between her personal transformation and China’s cultural, societal, and political changes. Some key research questions the guest editor envisions for this special issue include:

• How did Liu Xiaoqing experience Mao-era gender politics characterized by gender erasure and flattening?
• How did she renegotiate her gender and sexuality in post-Mao China through her film roles, personal choices, and public image?
• How did her entrepreneurial ventures in the newly introduced market economy establish her as one of China’s first prominent female entrepreneurs?
• How did her extramarital affairs and high-profile marriages and divorces challenge societal norms and carve out new spaces for Chinese women?
• Biographies about her and her autobiographies, in other words, how women’s life are portrayed, and how women portray their own life?
• How does her choice of a childfree lifestyle offer insights into debates about women’s reproductive rights and freedoms in China?
• What does her tax evasion lawsuit and subsequent imprisonment reveal about corruption and evolving societal issues in China?
• How has her transformation from film star to TV actress and now to a high-profile social media influencer resonated with younger generations?

Research topics relevant to the special issue, but beyond those mentioned above, are equally welcome. Interested contributors should prepare an abstract of 300 words, along with five keywords and a short biography (together not exceeding one page), and send it to Chang Liu (chang.liu[at]hcts.uni-heidelberg.de) by April 15. Decisions will be communicated by the end of April. Meanwhile, Chang Liu is available to answer any questions regarding Liu Xiaoqing Studies and this special issue.